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Todd Jensen writes...

I just finished reading "World of Warcraft Traveler" today.

About all I know about "World of Warcraft" is that it's a computer fantasy role-playing game; I've certainly never played it. But I recalled how, though I didn't know much about DC Comics, I had no difficulty following "Young Justice" when I saw it; the episodes made it clear who the various characters were, their nature and motivations, including the ones I'd never even heard of before I saw the series. So I suspected you'd do the same here, and I was right. While this world was new to me, I was able to follow the events without difficulty - and anything mysterious was cleary meant to be (such as the nature of the compass and why the Hidden want it).

Your protagonist gave me a bit of a start, since a while before the book came out, I began writing a story where one of the major characters was a young boy with a sketch-pad and an interest in drawing. (Though it didn't scare me, since my character didn't have much in common with Aramar beyond that - for example, he's a supporting character rather than the lead - and his drawings had a different role in the story.) I was also pleased to see Aramar's drawings actually contained in the book's pages, so that we can see his artwork.

I was amused to see a minor character with the surname "Frakes" and the use of the phrase "can no more stop protecting than breathing the air".

Aram's uprooting from his home in Lakeshire reminded me of a recent change in my life. Last year, my parents, who live in Arizona, urged me to move from St. Louis to Phoenix, so that I could be nearer to them, and I wound up giving in, though I wasn't any more keen on it than Aram was to go off to sea (if for different reasons). (I confess that I still don't feel at home out here in Phoenix.)

I found your variety of characters well-done - including the different members of the Hidden - a "villain group" that matches the Pack, the Canmore Hunters, and the Sinister Six of "The Spectacular Spider-Man" in a set of distinct antagonists working as a group.

And clearly this is the first of a series. I'll be looking for the books that follow.

Greg responds...

Thanks. I tried very hard - since I'd never played WoW either - to make this a book that ANYONE could enjoy, no matter their familiarity or lack of familiarity with Warcraft. Also tried to drop in an easter egg or two for my regular fans, as you noted.

I had a lot of fun writing that book and am DEEP into the writing of the second book now, which has the tentative title: WORLD OF WARCRAFT: TRAVELER, BOOK TWO: THE SPIRAL PATH. It's due out in November, 2017.

Response recorded on January 30, 2017